Improvement in circular looms



warp, and also in adapting the various move- I of metal, consisting of two side castings con- -tionary parts.

UNITED STATES .Tous J. situationen,

OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN CIRCULAR Looms'.

Speication forming part of Letters Patent No. 51,040, dated November 21,1865.

To all whom it may concern.- Beit known-that I, JOHN JAMES GREEN- OUGH, of the city, county, and State ot' New York, have invented certain new and useful Machinery forWeaving Cloth, which I denominate the Circular Loom and I do hereby declare andascertain said invention, referring to the accompanying drawings,pt`orming the illustration of thedesoription, in whiclif Figure 1 is va vertical sect-ion of the loom, (base not-in section.) Fig. lbis base of loom at right angles to Fig. l Fig. 2, aplan 5 Fig. 3 the plan of a` shuttle; Fig. 4, modiiied shuttle elevation; Fig. 5, reversed shuttle; Fig. 6, mechanism for raising the reed, with modiications 5 Fig. 7, fork for supporting the shuttle. My invention consists in forming a loom with a 4circular .en endless. racein whichv one or more shuttles are made to run'continuously in one direction to perform the process of laying the weft-thread or vfilling properly into the ments of the warp and other necessary mechanism of the loom to this main feature.

Several parts of my loom are susceptible of modiied construction, and throughout the description I shall name some of the most prominent of these moditlcations to illustrate the saine, and as types of the changes which I deem equivalents of the devices shownin' the drawings.

It is obvious that the fra-me of the machine may be made in any convenient way that will sustain the working parts. Y

In the drawings, a represents an oblong base nected through the center-by a cross-piece, a', and by other braces at the ends. From the center of the cross-piece a a standard, a2, rises. lThis standard forms the axis of the revolving` parts about to be named, and also supports above them certain stationary parts. Standards a3, in the drawings, sustain the stationary parts of the loom below7` the race within the web. The standards a4 sustain the outer sta- The take-up movement can be supported by other proper standards from the base, or by hangers from the ceiling of the room 5 but all these standards, as well as the other fram e-work ofthe loom, may be varied or omitted, and substitutes therefor supplied in any efficient way to suit the taste or wishes of the builder and properly sustain the working parts of the loom.

The warp can be wound on a straight beam, as in ordinary weaving,- and I prefer to use two or morebeams, b, as seen in the'drawings, especially .when wide cloth is woven. (It is obvious creels could be here substituted.) From the yarn beam or beams the warp-threads are l erly, there is the harness or heddles, or, instead thereof, a series of needles, as seen in the drawings at d. The needles, or other warp-shifter,

are connected with a series of short headpieces or sectional pieces that compose an annular band, d', that are attached to cam slides d2, working into revolving cams e on the ceny ter shaft. The needles are-in radial lines, and

are connected with the band d', which is made in sections, and to each end of each section there is jointed a radial sliding piece, d2, that- Vc'onne'cts the sectional band with the cam e, by

which the needles are moved to open and close l the warp properly. (A plan of this is shown in Fig. 2.) These cams c are so formedas to open the shed gradually from the heel of one shuttle to the point of the next, so that when the loom is in very rapid motion the shed opens comparatively slowly. I

To make the loom in the most simple form the shuttles should be in pairs, or in twills, equal the numberof leaves of harness,in which case the cam and the shuttles revolve at exactlythe same velocity; but if there is but one shuttle, or an odd number to the twill, it

requires a shift of cams for each revolution, v

by any well-known means.

For plain cloth a'double cam or two cams are required, which may be increased for any number of heddles, and for complex gures I contemplate sometimes using a jacquard or its equivalent.

vThe sole of the race fr is of circular form and endless. The sole isformed by the reed r,

Iand curb r forms the outside thereof and guides the shuttle Vin its course. The shuttle s is curved in its outline to conformvto the curve of the race. Atits heel ithas three rollers, as' clearly secn in Fig. 3, two of which, s`

s', bear against the curb r. The roller s2, with its periphery resting upon the surface of those radially from the axis a, therev isa roller, p',

that comes in contact with'the roller s2, in rear ot' its axis, so as to drive the shuttle' around the race as the arm revolves. The roller p turns on its axis in a direction the reverse ofits advance movement, as indicated'by the ar- .row in Fig. 3, by means of a bandaz, or other suitable device, which may be broad enoughto cover the face oi' the roller, or otherwise, so that the warp-thread between it and the shuttle will not bedisplaced by the action of driving the shuttle. Motion is given to thsepar'ts" bya stationary' pulley ou the eenterstandard,

a2, just above the arm p, (clearly seen in Fig- 1,') and connected by band, orotherwise, with the roller p', either by an intermediate roller or not, as shall be desired, and proportioned so that as the arm p revolves around under the 'stationary pulley the roller p shall be properly turned.

If I use the shuttle alone to beat up the [illing itis formed as shown in Fig. 4,- with aln, s, projecting from it, either with or without a friction-wheel, as seen at the apex. If the loom is'reversed, as hereinafter described, Iform the shuttle as in Fig. 5. It' the web is to be beaten up closer than can be done with the shuttle, I

propose to form the reed in convenient sections, and beat up just behind the-shuttle by any well-known mechanism for raisin gthe reed.

. One inodilication of this is shown at Fig. 6,

whereris the reed, r4 is the slide-rod bywhich itis held and raised15 is the ca m which in such case I propose to use for lifting fit, consisting of a groove in the periphery or face of 1 a cylinder thatrevolves on the central axis.

I also propose, as a device'for this purpose, a

revolving or vibrating beatup, so made as tc` readily enter the web and force the filling up -toits place, if any device is necessary, or a revolving brush may be used for the purpose in some descriptions of goods.

At the line-where the cloth is formed I place a ring, w, of4 the fsize thewoven cloth-is to be made, which rests against the outsideof the tube of woven cloth and determines its diam` eter. It has the warp -thread delivered just at or above its lower edge or bea'rin g on the cloth.

Thisring w shouldbe somewhat smaller than the circle of warp-threads at the ring c below, and the greater the difference between the size of these two circles the more room will there be for the play of the harness and the spread of the warp-thread orsize of the shuttle, which should be varied according to circumstances that will readily beV suggested to the practical manufacturer. A disk, w', or inner circle,'is

also shown in the drawings placed atthis point, and held by center stationary standard, a2, between which and the outer ring, ab, there is a .narrow openingfor the woven cloth to pass. It' this circle w' is furnished with an elastic edge, such as india-rubber or other proper material, which bears against the outer ringit will produce an elastic pressure upon the cloth be! tween them, Iholding the warp and weft properlyin place as thceloth is formed. -By means ot' the rin'gan'd circle the strain. u'pon'thewarp- 'thread-is greatly'relieved in beatingup with the shuttle. The-cloth, as it is formed, is'carried up to a circular disk, x2, above, and thence to an'oval one, y,'from whencefit isiattened and passes over the take-upv -ro/ller a to the cloth :beam z.

I do not propose to change the let-ott or take-up7 movements materially from the best forms now-in use, the principal -difference he- 'ing the substitution of a continuous motion vfor the intermittent one. All the requisites for letting oi'v the yarn and, taking up the cloth being'so well known to thefloom-builder and weaver, I have shown no device for the purpose on my drawings.

. 4It is obvious that by reversing the position of the parts,by placing the yarn-beams above and the cloth beam or beams below, there might Vbe "some additional device required to traverse the shuttle. I propose,in.case of necessity, to use a fork or grid, as seen in Fig, 7, which apparatus might also be used with the beat-up. 'In this yligure A is the plan; B', an elevation,

vshowingits position relative to the reed and warpf As such'a fork has been essayed in straight looms, it needs no particular descripn tion. When used it enters the warp in. ad vance ofthe shuttle, and after the shuttle passes overitit'is withdrawn, the motion being given -by a cam; but I prefer, in weaving goods that can be beaten up by the shuttle, to employ one substantially like that'shown at Fig. 5, from the lunder sideoi'whic'h a fin projects downward in awedgct'orm, having two thin rollersor wheels, s 8",.that run along the line where the warp passes through between the ring w and circle w', at the point where the cloth is forined,.the shuttle being thus supported bysaidstationary parts.

It is obvious' that the shuttle can be driven from the outside o'v the race instead of the in side, andelastic or liexible bands can be placed on the outside and in side', ofthe race, and forced in behind the shuttle to drive it, but I do'not recommend this plan.

Where the force required to drive the shut tle is within the limits of magnetic attraction the shuttle may be made of steel,and a magnet or electromagnet may be alxed to the driver to cause it to revolve. These devices are .suggested as equivalents, where they can be advantageously used, of the device shown, but I do not recommend them as" superior thereto.` The cloth can be split in one or more places around the circle, cutting the cloth in the loom into desirable widths that can be wound on seperate cloth-beams, or it can be delivered in the form oa woven tube, as shown in the drawinge. .L

Any desired number of shutles ceu be used at the same time by constructing" the loomrece of suficient diameter io have each shuttle follow its predecessor at e proper distance to ellowfor the shifting of the Warp and beet- The employment of two or more shuttles, constructed as herein described, in e circuler race, the sole of which is former?. as described, end following each other continuously in one direction and wearing, subeieutielly as and for the purposes set forth.

2. n combination with the ring w, the .11ering or expanding of the Werp, subsientieliy as and for the purposes sei; forth.

3. The employment oi' the ring fw and the disk. w" et the line' Where the cloth is formeel, substantially es. enfl'for the purposes herein set forth.

4.- Beating up the filling by means of the shuttle, when combined with .2i-circuler race and ring w, substantially es herein set forth.

J. JAMES GREENOUGH.

Witnesses:

ALBERT E. HOOK, E. B. SMITH. 

